I was happy to run into this Zolo Chardonnay from Mendoza at my Costco after hearing high praise for the wine from readers. At $7.99 the price was sure right, and as it turned out, the wine was amazing too. When Chardonnay is unoaked like this, it really lets the fruit shine through, and that’s exactly what we have here.  This is the opposite side of the spectrum from the big, buttery and woody Chardonnays you still seem to find a lot of.  To that extent, it’s definitely a Chardonnay for white wine fans who don’t think they like Chardonnay. The wine pours a light golden yellow; the citrus fruit is … [Read More...]

The 2015 Merryvale Chardonnay is a real deal California Chardonnay priced way below what I would expect after tasting it.  Although they are a Napa area staple (I frequently stop at the Gotts across the street for lunch, but haven’t made it to the winery yet), I always associated Merryvale with middle of the road wines. This Chardonnay is changing my perception.  Next time I’m grabbing a burger across the street, I plan to make my way over to the winery. Costco’s price is $23.99, which is quite a bit off the retail of $35, but I noticed K&L (one the of the best online wine merchants) had it for $… [Read More...]

Long time readers will know that I love my Ribera del Duero wines, so when I see a new one, like the 12 Linajes, arrive in my Costco stores, it’s almost a no brainer.  I can’t think of a time in recent years when the Ribera wines at Costco didn’t deliver a lot of bang for the buck. And this one is a perfect example.  This is a 94 point Wine Enthusiast bottle (also an Editor’s Choice) with a retail price of $40 that Costco is selling for $27.89. Exactly what I’m looking for to taste and share … [Read More...]

I was super surprised to see this Stonestreet Chardonnay wine arrive in the bins at my Costco and at the highly discounted price of $25.99.  Since retail on this wine is closer to $40-$45 that’s a steep Costco discount on a wine that I’ve had previously on two separate occasions, and absolutely loved it. This wine (vin. 2014 I think) was actually part of my local monthly wine club last year (yes, I think it’s important to support the small local guys too).  Before tasting it, I passed it off at first as just another California Chardonnay, expecting the usual overabundance of oak and butter masking most of… [Read More...]

Super happy I tried this Walt Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley.  It was $36.99 at my Costco, so I was really hoping for a great and memorable wine, and that’s exactly what I found. Retail price on this bottle ranges from $40-$46 if you bounce between Wine.com and Wine Enthusiast; plus the latter gave the wine a nice 92 point rating. And I might fall right in that ball park.  This is some impressive Pinot that is definitely a major step up in terms of complexity and depth from what you find in the $15-$20 range. There’s a lot going on right from the get go; the aromatics can be picked up several inches from the … [Read More...]

I had a few readers in the forums request reviews for Costco wines that are in the $30-$40 range, so although many of our reviews focus on good bargain finds under $20, I’m going to try to sprinkle a few more expensive wines in the mix now and then. This white Burgundy jumped out at me right a way as a perfect candidate along these lines.  It was priced at $41.99, which is fair for a wine from Puligny-Montrachet, and I was a little surprised to see it in my Costco (it’s been quite a few years since we last reviewed a wine from this region). Puligny-Montrachet and and its neighbor, Chassagne-Montrachet, are well… [Read More...]

It’s been a little while since we got our hands on one of the Kirkland Columbia Valley offerings from Washington State.  The last one was this 2015 Cab-Merlot blend that we thought was pretty good, and before that we had to dig into the vaults to find this Columbia Valley Bordeaux blend we really enjoyed too. Now we get the straight Cab from the ’16 vintage and Costco’s price is only $8.99, which I’ll say up front here is a steal for a wine like this.  There are a few Kirkland Cabs in stores right now to choose from, including the Alexander Valley… [Read More...]

The Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon is a Costco staple. Every club that I’ve ever been to carries it. Some of them stock it in the wooden bins on what I like to call the “tables.” Other clubs prominently display pallets of it on their end caps. The price tends to always remain the same, hovering somewhere between $13-$15 per bottle. I must say that I used to like this wine more. The 2013 vintage was really good. I still have a bottle or two left that I open from time to time, and it has held well. Because each cuvee is blended from juice that comes from all over California, there are bound to be variations between vintages. The current release (2015) … [Read More...]

This is a lovely wine that caught me off guard with its pleasantness because I really didn’t know what to expect. The single vineyard designation caught my eye but I had never heard of the producer before, and generally don’t go to Mendocino when I’m looking for Chardonnay value.  But that’s exactly what I found. This bottle was $12.99 at Costco, which is great considering retail is $23, and it’s online closer to $18 most places.  It also pulled down a 90 point rating from Wine Enthusiast, which I agree with wholeheartedly. On the pour, this wine is super light, see… [Read More...]

It was quite the surprise running into this bottle, part of a small display tucked into the “cheap seats” (wines stacked in the aisles, not the wooden boxes). I first tried this wine just a a few months ago when it popped up at Cost Plus World Market for a heavy discount (can’t remember what I paid but less than $20 for sure).  I really enjoyed it. Costco’s price of $15.69 is fantastic especially when compared online. And the wine itself is just delicious, as good the second time around as it was the first.  A little big and hefty perhaps for some drinkers during the hot months, but if you like big bold … [Read More...]